Name

The
name is derived from the word was
saaffatwith which the Surah begins.

Period
of Revelation

The
subject matter and the style show that this Surah probably was sent
down in the middle of the Makkan period, or perhaps in the last stage
of the middle Makkan period. The style clearly indicates that
antagonism is raging strong in the background and the Holy Prophet
and his Companions are passing through very difficult and
discouraging circumstances.

Subject
Matter and Theme

The
disbelievers of Makkah have been severely warned for their attitude
of mockery and derision with which they were responding to the Holy
Prophet's message of Tauhidand the Hereafter and for their utter
refusal to accept and acknowledge his claim to Prophethood. In the
end, they have been plainly warned that the Prophet whom they are
mocking and ridiculing will overwhelm them in spite of their power
and self and they will find the army of Allah encamping in the very
courtyards of their houses (vv. 171-179. This notice was given at a
time when there appeared no chance whatever of the Holy Prophet's
success and triumph. The Muslims (who have been called Allah's army
in these verses) were being made the target of severe persecution.
Three- fourth of their population had already emigrated and hardly 40
to 50 of the Companions were left with the Holy Prophet in Makkah who
were experiencing all sorts of the excesses with utter helplessness.
Under such circumstances, in view of the apparent conditions, no one
could believe that the Holy Prophet and the handful of his ill
equipped Companions would ultimately attain dominance. The people
rather thought that the new movement would end and be buried in the
ravines of Makkah. But hardly 15 to 16 years had passed when on the
conquest of Makkah precisely the same thing happened of which the
disbelievers had been forewarned.

Along
with administering warnings, Allah in this Surah has done full
justice also to the theme of inducement and instruction in a balanced
way. Brief but impressive arguments have been given about the
validity of the doctrines of Tauhidand the Hereafter. Criticism has been
made of the creed of the mushrikinto show the absurdity of their
beliefs; they have been informed of the evil consequences of their
deviations, which have been contrasted with the splendid results of
the faith and righteous acts. Then, in continuation of the same,
Precedents from past history have been cited to show how Allah had
been treating His Prophets and their followers : how He has been
favoring His faithful servants and punishing their deniers and
rejectors.

The
most instructive of the historical narratives presented in this Surah
is the important event of the pious life of the Prophet Abraham, who
became ready to sacrifice his only son as soon as he received an
inspiration from Allah. In this there was a lesson not only for the
disbelieving Quraish, who waxed proud of their blood relationship
with him, but also for the Muslims who had believed in Allah and His
Messenger. By narrating this event they were told what is the essence
and the real spirit of Islam, and how a true believer should be ready
to sacrifice his all for the pleasure and approval of Allah after he
has adopted it as his Faith and Creed.

The
last verses of the Surah were not only a warning for the disbelievers
but also a good news for the believers who were passing through
highly unfavorable and discouraging conditions on account of their
supporting and following the Holy Prophet. In these verses they were
given the good news that they should not be disheartened at the
hardships and difficulties they had to encounter in the beginning,
for in the end they alone would attain dominance, and the standard
bearers of falsehood, who appeared to be dominant at the time would
be overwhelmed and vanquished at their hands. A few years later the
turn the events took, proved that it was not an empty consolation but
an inevitable reality of which they had been foretold in order to
strengthen their hearts.

In
the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

[1-5]
By those who set themselves in ranks; then by those scold and curse,
then by those who recite admonition.1
Your real Deity is but One.2
He Who is Lord of the earth and the heavens and of all that is
between them, and Lord3
of all Easts.4

[6-10]
We have adorned the lower heaven with the adornment of the stars5
and have secured it against every rebel satan.6
These satans cannot hear the words of the exalted ones; they are
darted at and driven off from every side, and for them there is a
perpetual torment. However, if some one snatches away something, a
flashing flame follows him.7

[11-18]
Now ask them: What is more difficult: their own creation or of those
things which We have created?8
Of sticky clay We have created them.9
You marvel (at the wonders of Allah's power), but they are scoffing
at it. When they are warned they do not take the warning. When they
see a Sign they mock at it, and say, "This is plain magic.10
What! When we are dead and have become dust and bones, shall we be
raised up to life? And also our forefathers of ancient times?"
Say to them, "Yes, and you are helpless (against God).11

[19-32]
There will only be a single shout and suddenly they will be seeing
(all of which they are being warned) with their own eyes.12
Then they will say, "Woe to us! This is the Day of Requital."
The same Day of Judgment which you used to deny.13
(It will be commanded): "Gather all the unjust people14
and their associates15
together, and those gods whom they used to worship instead of Allah16
then show them the way to Hell. And stop them for a while: they have
to be questioned: “What is the matter? Why don't you help one
another? Today, they are surrendering themselves (and others to
God)”17
Then they will turn to each other for mutual reproaches. (The
followers) will say (to their guides): "You used to come to us
from the right side."18
They will reply, "Nay but it was yourselves who did not believe:
we had no power over you: you yourselves were a rebellious people.
Consequently, we have deserved the verdict of our Lord that we should
taste the torment. So we led you astray for we ourselves had gone
astray."19

[33-39]
So, on that Day they shall all share the torment.20
Thus do We deal with the criminals. These were the people that when
it was said to them, "There is no god but Allah," they were
puffed up with pride and would say, "Should we give up our gods
for the sake of a mad poet?" Whereas he had come with the Truth
and had confirmed the Messengers.21
(Then it will be said to them :) "You shall have to taste the
painful scourge, and your retribution will be strictly according to
the deeds that you have been performing."

[40-46]
But the chosen servants of Allah will remain safe (from this evil
end). For them there is a known provision:22
tasteful things of all kinds23
and gardens of delight wherein they shall be lodged with honor. They
will sit face to face on couches: cups filled from fountains24
of wine25
will be passed round to them,26
of crystal white drink, delicious for those who drink it.

[47-49]
Neither will they be harmed physically thereby nor become drunk.27
And beside them there will be chaste women28
with beautiful eyes, restraining their looks,29
delicate as the thin skin hidden under the egg shell.30

[50-59]
Then they will turn to one another to ask questions. One of them will
say, "I had a friend in the world, who used to say, 'Are you
also of those who affirm?31
What! when we are dead and have become dust and bones, shall we
really be rewarded and punished?' Now, do you want to see where that
man is?" Saying this as he will look down, he will see him in
the depth of Hell. He will address him, saying, "By God! you had
almost ruined me. But for the favor of my Lord, I also should have
been among those who have been seized and brought here.32
Well! Are we not to die any other than our first death? Are we not to
be punished?"33

[60-74]
This indeed is the supreme success. For the like of this, then,
should the workers work. Say, "Is this feast better or the
zaqqum tree?34
We have made that tree a trial for the wicked people.35
It is a tree that grows out from the bottom of Hell. Its buds are
like the heads of satans.36
The dwellers of Hell shall eat it and fill their bellies with it.
Then, upon it, they will get boiling water to drink. Then, their
return shall be to the same Fire of Hell.37
These are the people, who found their forefathers astray and they
hastened in their footsteps, whereas many people before them had gone
astray though We had sent warners among them. Now see what was the
end of those who had been warned. Only such servants of Allah were
able to avoid this evil end, whom Allah has chosen for Himself.38

[75-82]
(Before this)39
Noah had called on Us.40
Just see how excellent Answerers (of the prayers) We were! We saved
him and his household from the great distress41
and made his progeny to be the only survivors42
and left for him praise among posterity. Peace be upon Noah among the
people of the world.43
Thus do We reward the righteous. He was indeed one of Our believing
servants. Then We drowned the others.

[83-87]
And Abraham was the one who followed the way of Noah. When he
approached his Lord with a sound heart.44
When he said to his father and his people,45
"What are these things that you worship? Do you seek false gods
instead of Allah? What do you think about the Lord of the worlds?"46

[88-98]
Then47
he cast a glance at the stars48
and said, "I am sick."49
So they left him behind and went away.50
In their absence, he stole into the temple of their gods and said,
"Why don't you eat?51
What is the matter that you do not even speak?" Then he fell
upon them, smiting them with his right hand. (On their return) the
people came to him running.52
He said, "Do you worship those that you have yourselves carved?
whereas Allah has created you as well as those (things) which you
make." They said to one another, "Prepare for him a bonfire
and throw him into the blazing flames." They had designed a plan
against him, but We defeated them in their plan.53

[99-113]
Abraham said,54
"I shall go to my Lord.55
He will guide me. O my Lord! grant me a son who should be
righteous."56
(In answer to this prayer) We gave him the good news of a gentle
(clement) son.57
When the boy reached the age to work with him, (one day) Abraham said
to him, "My son! I have dreamed that I am sacrificing you.58
Now tell me what you think of it."59
He said, "My dear father, do as you are being commanded.60
You will find me, if Allah so wills, of the patient." At last,
when the two had submitted them selves (to Allah) and Abraham had
flung his son down on his brow,61
and We called out,62
"O Abraham! You have indeed fulfilled your vision.63
Thus do We reward the righteous.64
This was indeed a manifest trial."65
And We ransomed his son for a great sacrifice,66
and left for him praise among posterity for ever. Peace is upon
Abraham. Thus do We reward the righteous. Indeed he was one of Our
believing servants; and We gave him the good news of Isaac, a Prophet
among the righteous. And we blessed him as well as Isaac.67
Now among their offspring someone is righteous and someone clearly a
sinner against his own self.68

[114-122]
And We showed favor to Moses and Aaron: We delivered them and their
people from a great distress.69
We helped them and so they became triumphant: We gave them a clear
Book, and guided them to the Right Way, and left good words for them
among posterity. Peace is on Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward the
righteous. Indeed they were among Our believing servants.

[123-132]
And Elias also was one of the Messengers.70
Remember when he said to his people, "Do you not fear ? Do you
invoke Ba'al71
and leave the Best of Creators, that Allah Who is your Lord and Lord
of all your forefathers?" But they treated him as a liar, so
they will certainly be presented for punishment, except for the true
servants of God,72
and We left good words for Elias among posterity.73
Peace is upon Elias!74
Thus do We reward the righteous. Indeed he was one of Our believing
servants.

[133-138]
And Lot also was one of the Messengers. Remember when We rescued him
and all his household, except for an old woman who was among those
who remained behind.75
Then We destroyed the others completely. Now you pass by their ruins
by day and by night.76
Have you then no sense?

[139-148]
And indeed Jonah also was one of the Messengers.77
Remember when he fled to the laden vessel;78
then he took part in the casting of lots and lost. At last, the fish
swallowed him, for he was blameworthy.79
Had he not been of those who glorify80
(Us)"he would have remained in the fish's belly till the Day of
Resurrection.81
At last We cast him on a bare shore in a state of sickness,82
and caused a creeper83
to grow over him. Then We sent him to a hundred thousand people, or
more.84
They believed in him and We let them live till an appointed time.85

[149-157]
Just ask the people86
(whether it appeals to them) that their Lord should have daughters
and they should have sons!87
Have We really created the angels females and they are eye-witnesses
of it? Note it well: they, in fact, invent a falsehood when they say,
"Allah has children." They are utter liars. Did Allah
choose daughters for Himself instead of sons? What is the matter with
you? How you judge? Will you not have sense? Or, if you have a clear
authority for this, then bring your Book if you are truthful.88

[158-166]
They have invented a blood-relationship between Allah and the
angels,89
whereas the angels know full well that these people will be brought
up as culprits. (And they say) "Allah is free from the things
which the other people than His true servants attribute to Him.
Therefore you and your gods cannot turn anyone from Allah, except him
who shall burn in the blazing Fire of Hell.90
As for ourselves, each one of us has an appointed place,91
and we are the ranged servants and the glorifiers (of Allah)."

[167-173]
Before this they used to say, "If we had the 'Admonition' which
the earlier people had received, we would have been the chosen
servants of Allah."92
But (when it did come) they denied it. Now, they will soon come to
know (the consequences of this attitude). We have already promised
Our servants whom We sent that they would certainly be helped, and
Our army alone would be triumphant.93

[174-179]
Therefore, O Prophet, leave them for a while to themselves and watch
(them); soon they will see it for themselves.94
Are they clamoring for our torment? The day when it descends in their
courtyards, will be a dreadful day for those who have been warned. So
leave them alone for a while and watch; soon they will themselves
see.

[180-182]
Glorified is your Lord, Lord of Honour, (and free) from all that they
attribute to Him., and peace on the Messengers, and all praise is
only for Allah, Lord of the Universe.

1The
majority of the commentators are agreed that All these three groups
imply the groups of the angels, and the same explanation of it has
been reported from 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah, Masruq
Said bin Jubair, 'Ikrimah, Mujahid, Suddi, Ibn Zaid and Rabi' bin
Anas. Some commentators have given other commentaries also, but this
commentary is more in keeping with the context. The words "range
themselves in ranks" refer to the fact that all the angels who
arc administering the affairs of the universe, are the humble
servants of Allah, and are ever ready to carry out any service and
implement any command of His. This theme -has been further repeated
in verse 165 below, where the angels say with regard to themselves:
"We are the ranged servants (of Allah).'

As for
"scolding and cursing", some commentators think that it
refers to those angels who drive the clouds and arrange the
rainfall. Although this meaning is not incorrect either, the meaning
which is more relevant to the following context is that among these
angels there is also a group of those, who scold and curse the
disobedient people and the culprits, and this scolding and cursing
is not merely verbal but it rains on human beings in the form of
natural disasters and calamities.

"To
recite admonition" implies that among these angels there are
also those, who perform the service of admonition in order to draw
the people's attention .to the Truth. This they do by bringing about
natural calamities from which the needful take heed, and by bringing
down the teachings to the Prophets, and in the form of revelations
with which the pious men are blessed through them.

2This
is the Truth to impress which an oath has been taken by the angels
bearing the above-mentioned qualities. In other words, what is meant
to be said is: "The whole system of the universe which is
functioning in the service of Allah, and all those manifestations of
this universe which bring the evil consequences of deviation from
the service of Allah before men, testify that the "Deity"
of men is One and only One."

The word
"Ilah" applies to two meanings:

(1) The
deity who is actually being served and worshiped; and

(2) the
Deity Who, in reality, is worthy of being served and worshiped.

Here, the
word "Ilah"has been used in the second meaning, for, as
far as the first meaning is concerned, men have adopted many other
deities. That is why we have translated "Ilah"as the "real
Deity".

3The
Truth that has been conveyed in these verses is: "The Master
and Ruler of the Universe is the real Deity of men: He alone can be,
and should be the Deity. It would be utterly irrational that the
Rabb (i.e.. Master, Ruler, Guardian and Sustainer) of the man should
be one but his Ilah (deity) another. The basic reason for worship is
that man should naturally bow down before and acknowledge the
superiority of him who can bring him harm and good, who can fulfill
his needs and requirements, who can make or mar his destiny and has
power over his life and survival itself. If man understands this he
will automatically understand that to worship the one who has no
power and not to worship Him Who has All the powers arc both against
reason and nature. The One Who alone is worthy of worship is He Who
possesses the powers. As far as the powerless beings are concerned,
they are neither worthy of worship, nor is it in any way profitable
to worship and pray to them, for it is not in their power to take
any action whatever on man's petitions and prayers. To bow before
them humbly and to petition them would be as foolish and meaningless
an act as to bow before and petition another one who has himself
gone before a ruler to make obeisance and submit his petitions.

4The
sun does not always rise at the same point but at a different point
every day. Moreover, it does not rise at one and the same time for
the whole world but rises at different times for the different parts
of the earth. That is why the plural "Mashariq" (Easts)
has been used to indicate the different points at which the sun
rises according to the season of the year. The corresponding word
“Magharib” (Wests) has not been used because Mashariq
itself points to Magharib However, in Surah Al-Ma'arij, the word
magharib also has been used along with mashariq: Rabb-al-mashariqi
wal-magharib.

5"Lower
heaven" : The nearer heaven which can be seen with the naked
eye, without the help of a telescope. The worlds beyond which can be
seen through the telescopes of different powers, and the worlds
which have not so far been observed through any moans, are the
distant heavens. In this connection, one should also note that "sama
" is not something definite and determined, but man generally
has been using this word and its other synonyms for the heavens
since the earliest times.

6That
is, "Heaven is not merely empty space so that anyone who likes
may enter it, but it has been fortified strongly, and its different
regions have been bounded by such strong barriers that it is
impossible for any rebel satan to exceed them. Every star and planet
in the universe has its own circle and sphere escaping from which is
as difficult as entering it. With the naked eye one can only see
empty space, but, in reality, there are countless regions in space
which have been even more strongly fortified and protected than they
could be by steel walls. One can imagine and estimate the strength
of these barriers by the difficulties man is experiencing in the way
of reaching the moon, which is our nearest neighbor in space.
Similar difficulties prevent the other creation of the earth, the
jinns, from ascending towards the heavens.

7To
understand this one should keep in view the fact that in the time of
the Holy Prophet, soothsaying was in great vogue in Arabia. The
soothsayers used to make predictions, give news of the unseen, tell
the whereabouts of the lost properties and articles, and the people
used to visit them to know the events of their past and future
lives. These soothsayers claimed that they had some jinns and satans
under their control, who brought them all sorts of news. In this
environment when the Holy Prophet was appointed to Prophethood, and
he began to recite the verses of the Qur'an, which described the
past history and contained news of the future, and also stated that
an angel brought him these verses, his opponents immediately branded
him a soothsayer and started telling others that, like the other
soothsayers, he too was associated with a satan, who brought him
news from the heavens, which he presented as revelations from Allah.
To refute this accusation, Allah says: "The satans have no
access to heaven. They have no power to hear the conversations of
the angels and bring its news for others; if by chance a little of
it enters the ear of a satan, and he tries to bring it down, he is
followed by a flashing flame." In other words, it means: "The
grand system of the universe, which is functioning under the agency
of the angels has been firmly guarded and secured against every
interference of the satans. Not to speak of interfering in it, they
do not even have the power to obtain any kind of information about
it. " (For further explanation, see AI-Hijr: 17-18 and the
E.N's thereof).

8This
is an answer to the suspicions of the disbelievers of Makkah, which
they presented about the Hereafter. They thought that the Hereafter
was not possible, for it is impossible that the dead men should be
recreated. In answer to it, Allah presents arguments for the
possibility of the Hereafter and asks: "If you think that the
recreation of the dead men is a very difficult task which We do not
have the power to accomplish, do you think it is easy to create the
earth and the heavens and the countless things that they contain?
Why don't you use your common sense ? Do you think that God for Whom
it was not at all difficult to create this great Universe and Who
has created you in the first instance, will not have the power to
create you once again ?"

9That
is, "Man is not a difficult thing to make. He has been created
from clay, and can again be created from the same clay."
"Created man of sticky clay" means that the first man was
created directly from the clay and then his race was perpetuated by
means of the sperm-drop. It also means that every man has been
'created from the sticky clay, for the whole substance of man's body
is obtained from the earth. The sperm-drop of which he is created,
is a product of the food, and all the substances which make up his
physical being, from the time he is conceived till his death, are
also supplied by the food. The source of the food, whether animal
flesh or vegetable, is ultimately the same earth which, in
combination with water produces corn and vegetables and fruit to
become food for man, and nourish the animals, which supply milk and
flesh for the use of man.

Thus, the
basis of the argument is: Man could not be living today if the earth
and clay had not become the source of life for him. And if it is
possible today to create life in it, as your own existence is a
clear and definite pointer to this possibility, why should it be
impossible to bring about your re-creation from the same earth
tomorrow ?

10That
is, "This person is talking of the world of magic in which the
dead will rise, and will be produced before a court and sent to
Heaven and Hell" or, it may also mean: "This person is
talking like a madman. What he talks is a clear proof that somebody
has worked magic on him; otherwise a sensible person could not talk
such things.

11That
is, "Allah can make of you whatever He likes. When He willed,
you came into being forthwith; when He wills, you will die at one
Command by Him; and then whenever He wills, His one Command will
raise you back to lift. "

12That
is, "When the time comes for this, it will not be difficult to
reestablish the whole world. Just a single shout will be enough to
make the people to wake up. Here, the word "shout" or
"cry" is very meaningful. It depicts the Resurrection as
though the people who had died since the beginning of the creation
till the last Day, were lying asleep, and a sudden command to them
to "wake up" will cause them to rise up all at once."

13It
may be that this is said by the believers, or by the angels; or it
may be, as it were, the common expression of the conditions
prevailing in the plain of Resurrection or it may as well be another
reaction of the people themselves. That is, they may be saying in
their hearts. "In the world, you lived in a way as if no Day of
Judgment would ever come. Now you have come to your doom! This is
the same Day that you used to deny ! "

14"The
unjust people" does not only imply those who committed
injustices in the world, but as a Qur'anic term Zalim implies every
such person, who might have adopted the way of rebellion and
disobedience against Allah. "

15The
word "azwaj"in the original might also imply their wives,
who were their associates in this rebellion, and also all those
people who were rebellious and disobedient like them. Moreover it
may also mean that the culprits of different categories will be
gathered together in separate groups.

(1) Those
men and satans who themselves desired that the people should worship
them instead of Allah; and

(2) those
idols and trees and stones, etc., which have actually been worshiped
in the world.

The first
kind of the gods will be included among the culprits themselves and
will be led to Hell for punishment; the other kind of them will be
thrown into Hell along with their worshipers so that they constantly
feel ashamed of and continue to regret their follies. Besides, there
is also a third kind of the gods, who have been worshiped in the
world, but without their own consent and knowledge; they rather
forbade the people to worship anyone but Allah, e.g. the angels,
prophets and saints. Obviously, this kind of the gods will not be
included among the gods who will be driven to Hell along with their
worshipers.

17The
first sentence will be addressed to the culprits, and the second to
the common spectators, who will be watching the scene of the
culprits' departure for Hell. This sentence itself tells of the
general conditions at the time. It tells how the haughty and
stubborn culprits of the world will be moving towards Hell meekly
and without showing any resistance. Somewhere some kind will be seen
being pushed about, and no one from among his courtiers will come
forward to rescue "his majesty"; somewhere some conqueror
of the world and some dictator will be moving away in humiliation
and disgrace, and his brave army itself will deliver him for the
punishment; somewhere some saint or some holy father will be seen
being thrown into Hell, and no one of his disciples will bother to
save him froth disgrace; somewhere some leader will be trudging
helplessly towards Hell, and those who used to glorify and applaud
him in the world, will turn away their eyes from him. So much so
that the (over who was ever prepared to sacrifice everything for the
beloved in the world, will feel least concerned to save him from his
plight. By depicting this scene Allah wants to impress how the
relationships of man with man, which are based on rebellion against
Allah in the world, will break in the Hereafter, and how the pride
of those who are involved in arrogance and conceit here, will be
ruined.

18The
word yamin in Arabic is used for several meanings. It may mean use
of the force, or well-wishing, or swearing of an oath. Accordingly,
the verse would mean:

(1) "You
compelled us into following error and deviation"; or

(2) "you
deceived us by posing as our well-wishers"; or

(3) "you
swore oaths to satisfy us that what you were presenting was the very
truth."

20That
is, the followers as well as the guides, misleaders as well as the
misled, All shall suffer the same torment. Neither will the
followers' excuse be heeded that they did not go astray but had been
led astray, nor the guides' excuse accepted that the people
themselves were not desirous of following the right way.

21Confirmation
of the Messengers has three meanings and all the three are implied
here:

(1) That
he had not opposed any former Messenger so that the believers of
that Messenger could have a rational ground of prejudice against
him; he had rather confirmed all the former Messengers sent by God;

(2) that
he had not brought any new or novel thing, but he had presented the
same that the former Messengers of God had been presenting from the
very beginning; and

(3) that
he truly fulfilled and corresponded to the predictions that the
former Messengers had made concerning him.

22"A
known provision" : A provision All of whose characteristics
have been made known to them, which they are sure to receive, about
which they have also the full satisfaction that they will continue
to receive it for ever, and about which there is no apprehension
that they may or may not get it at some time.

23In
this there is a subtle allusion to this also that in Paradise food
will be provided not to serve as food but for pleasure and delight.
That is, the food there will not be meant to replenish the bodily
deficiencies through diet, for no deficiency whatever will occur in
the body in that eternal life, nor will man have appetite, for
appetite is caused by the process of assimilation in the body, nor
will the body demand food for its survival. That is why the word
fawakih has been used for the different kinds of food in Paradise,
which contains the sense of taste and pleasure more than that of
nutrition.

24That
is, `It will not be the kind of wine that is extracted from rotten
fruit and corn in the world, but it will flow naturally from
fountains like canals. In Surah Muhammad, the same thing has been
described more clearly, thus: ........and canals will be flowing in
it of wine which will be delightful for the drinkers." (v. 15)

25Here
the word ka `s (cup) only has been used and there is no mention of
the wine. But in Arabic the use of ka's always implies wine. The cup
which contains milk or water, instead of wine, or is empty, is not
called ka's. The word ka's is used for a cup only when it contains
wine.

26Here
it has not been mentioned as to who will take these cups of wine
round to the dwellers of Paradise. This has been stated at other
places: `And there will go round to them young boys, exclusively
appointed for their service, who will be as lovely as well-guarded
pearls." (At-Tur :24). `They will be attended by brisk-moving
boys who will for ever remain boys. If you saw them, you would think
they were pearls, scattered." (Ad-Dahr: 19). Then, its further
details are found in the traditions related by Hadrat Anas and
Hadrat Samurah bin Jundub from the Holy Prophet, according to which:
`The children of the mushrikin will be attendants of the dwellers of
Paradise." (Abu Da`ud Tayalisi, Tabarani, Bazzar). Though these
traditions are weak as regards their links of transmitters, there
are several other Ahadith which mean that children who died young,
before attaining maturity, will go to Paradise. Ahadith also show
that the children whose parents are blessed with Paradise, will live
with them so as to be a comfort of the eyes for them. This leaves
behind those children whose parents will not go to Paradise. Thus,
with regard to them, it seems reasonable that they will be made the
attendants of the dwellers of Paradise. (For a detailed discussion
of this, see Fath ul-Bari and 'Umdat ul-Qari: Kitab ul-Jana'iz, Bab;
Maqila fi aulad il -mushrikin; Rasa 'il-o-Masa'il, vol. III, pp.
177-187).

27That
is, the wide of Paradise will be free from both the evils which are
found in the wine of the world. The wine of the world, first of All,
afflicts man with its stink; then it embitters his taste, upsets his
stomach, affects his mind and causes giddiness; then it affects the
liver and spoils the health generally. Then, when the intoxication
is gone, it leaves behind other ill-effects on the body. Its other
evil is that man gets drunk with it, talks nonsense and brawls. This
is how the wine affects man's mind and reason. Man suffers both
these evil effects of the wine only for the sake of delight and
pleasure. Allah says that the wine of Paradise will certainly afford
and give full pleasure and delight, but it will be free from the
kinds of the evils that go with the worldly wine.

28Probably
these will be the girls who died before attaining the age of
discretion in the world, and whose parents did not deserve to enter
Paradise. This can be said on the basis of analogy that just as the
boys similarly placed will be appointed for the service of the
dwellers of Paradise, and they will ever remain hoes, so will the
girls be made the houris and they will ever remain young and
beautiful. The correct knowledge, however, is with Allah.

29"Restraining
their looks": Restraining their looks from everyone except
their husbands.

30The
words of the Text actually mean this: "As if they were the
hidden or well preserved eggs." The commentators have given
different interpretations of these words, but the correct commentary
is the one which Hadrat Umm Salamah has related from the Holy
Prophet. She says that when she asked the meaning of this verse from
the Holy Prophet, he said: "Their delicacy and elegance and
tenderness will be like the thin skin which is there between the
shell of the egg and its fleshy part." (Ibn Jarir).

31That
is, "Were you also one of those credulous people who put their
faith in an irrational and impossible thing like life-after-death
?"

32This
shows how powerful will be man's hearing, seeing and speaking powers
in the Hereafter. Sitting in Paradise he bends his head a little and
is able to see a person, who is undergoing torment thousands of
miles away in Hell, without the agency of a television set. Then,
they not only just see each other, but also commune with each other
directly without the medium of the telephone or radio and they speak
and hear each other over vast distances.

33The
style clearly shows that while speaking to his friend in Hell, the
dweller of Paradise suddenly starts talking to himself. He speaks
these three sentences in a way as if he found himself in a state
much better than that he ever expected and imagined for himself, and
now being beside himself with wonder and joy he is engaged in a sort
of soliloquy. In such a state the speaker does not speak to an
addressee, nor the questions he asks are meant to find out something
from somebody, but in this state the man's own feelings find
expression through his tongue. The dweller of Paradise, while
speaking to the dweller of Hell, suddenly starts feeling how he has
been favored by good fortune: now there is neither death nor any
torment: all troubles and distresses have come to an end and he has
been blessed with immortality. Under this very feeling he exclaims:
"Well arc we not to die any other than our first death ? Are we
not to be punished?"

34Zaqqum
is a tree of the cactus species found in Tihamah. It is bitter in
taste, obnoxious in smell and sheds a milk like juice when cut or
broken.

35That
is, "On hearing this the disbelievers get a new opportunity to
taunt the Qur'an and mock the Holy Prophet. They ridicule it saying,
`Listen another strange thing: a tree will grow in the blazing fire
of Hell'!"

36Nobody
should have the misunderstanding that since no one has seen the head
of Satan, it was no use likening the buds of zaqqum to it. This is,
in fact, an imaginative kind of the simile, and is employed in the
literature of every language. For example, in order to give an idea
of the rare beauty of a woman, it is said she is a fairy, and in
order to describe her ugliness, it is said that she is a hag or a
demon. Likewise, a pious-looking person is described as an angel and
a dreadful-looking person as a devil.

37This
shows that when the dwellers of Hell will be in distress due to
hunger and thirst, they will be driven to the side where there would
be the zaqqum trees and the springs of boiling water. When they will
have eaten and drunk, they will be brought back to Hell.

38That
is, they never used their own common sense to sec whether the way
their forefathers had been following was right or wrong; they just
blindly adopted the way that they found others following.

39This
theme is related with the preceding sentences. A study of them shows
why these stories are being narrated here.

40This
refers to the prayer that the Prophet Noah had at last made to Allah
Almighty, being disappointed with his people, after having preached
the true Faith to them for a very long period of time, without much
success. This prayer has been related in Surah All-Qamar, thus: "He
called out to his Lord, saying: I am overcome: take now Thy
vengeance." (v. 10).

41That
is, from the severe distress that was being caused to him on account
of the continuous opposition and antagonism of a wicked and cruel
people. This also contains a subtle allusion that just as the
Prophet Noah and his companions were saved from the great distress,
so also shall We ultimately save the Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be
Allah's peace) and his Companions from the great distress that is
being caused to them by the people of Makkah.

(1) That
the progeny of the people who were opposing the Prophet Noah was
made extinct and the Prophet Noah's progeny alone was allowed to
survive; and

(2) that
the whole human race was made extinct, and only the Prophet Noah's
progeny was allowed to inhabit the earth after that. The
commentators generally have adopted this second meaning, but the
words of the Qur'an are not explicit in this regard and no one knows
the reality except Allah.

43That
is there is none in the world today, who would talk coil of the
Prophet Noah. After the Flood till today the world has been praising
and speaking well of him for thousands of years.

44"Approached
his Lord": Turned to his Lord sincerely and exclusively; "with
a sound heart": with a heart that was free from all kinds of
moral evils and weaknesses of faith, free from every trace of
unbelief and shirk, doubt and suspicion, from every feeling of
disobedience and rebellion, from every crookedness, confusion and
complexity, and free from every evil inclination and desire, and a
heart that neither cherished any malice and jealousy and ill-will
against anyone, nor had any evil intention.

45For
further details of this story of the Prophet Abraham, please see
Surah Al-An'am: 72-90; Maryam: 41-60; AI-Anbiya: 51-75; Ash-Shu'ara;
69-89; Al-'Ankabut: 16-17, and the E.N's thereof.

46That
is, "Why have you formed such a wrong view of Allah? Do you
think that the gods that you have yourselves carved out from wood
and stone can be like Him, or can be His associates in his
attributes and rights? And are you involved in the misunderstanding
that you will somehow manage to escape His punishment after you have
indulged in such blasphemy ?

47The
reference is to a particular incident the details of which have been
given in Surah Al-Anbiya': 71-73 and Al-`Ankabut: 16-27 above.

48Ibn
Abi Hatim has cited a saying of the famous commentator Qatadah, an
immediate follower of the Companions, to the effect that the Arabic
idiomatic expression, cast a glance at the stars," means that
he pondered deeply, or that he started thinking seriously. 'Allama
Ibn Kathir has preferred this same view, and this is also supported
by the common observation: when a person is confronted by a problem
that needs serious consideration, he looks upward or to the sky for
a while, and then makes a reply, after due consideration.

49This
is one of those three things concerning which it is said that the
Prophet Abraham had told three lies in his life, whereas it should
be ascertained before declaring it a lie, or anything contrary to
fact, whether the Prophet Abraham at that time was not suffering
from any illness, and therefore, he had trade this excuse only as a
pretense. If there is no proof, there is no reason why it should be
regarded as a lie. For a detailed discussion, please refer to E.N.
60 of Surah Al-Anbiya` and Rasa 'il-o-Masa'il, vol. II, pp. 35 to
39.

50This
sentence by itself shows the real state of the affairs. It appears
that the people might be going to sane fair of theirs. The family of
the Prophet Abraham might have asked him also to accompany them. He
might have excused himself, saying that he was indisposed, and
therefore, could not go. Had it been something contrary to fact, the
people of the house would have said: "You look perfectly
normal: you are making a false excuse. But when they accepted his
excuse and left him behind, it clearly shows that the Prophet
Abraham must at that time be suffering from cough and cold or sane
other such visible illness on account of which the people of the
house agreed to leave him behind.

51This
shows that there were different kinds of food placed before the
idols in the temple.

52Here
the story has been told in brief. According to the details given in
Surah Al-Anbiya`, when they returned and found all their idols
broken to pieces in the temple, they started making investigations.
Some people said that a young man, called Abraham, had been talking
such and such things against idol-worship. At this the multitude
demanded that he should be immediately seized and brought before
them. Therefore, a group of the people went running to him and
brought him before the multitude.

53The
words in Surah Al-Anbiya`: 69 are to the effect: "We commanded:
O fire, be cool and become safe for Abraham," and in Surah
AI'Ankbut: 24, it has been said: "Then Allah saved him from the
fire." This proves that those people had actually thrown the
Prophet Abraham into the fire, and then Allah had rescued him from
it safe and sound. The words of the verse, "They had designed a
plan against him, but We defeated them in their plan," cannot
be taken to mean that they had only intended to throw the Prophet
Abraham into the fire but could not carry their plan into effect;
but when these words are read with the verses cited above, the
meaning becomes plain that they had wanted to kill him by casting
him into the fire but could not do so, and the Prophet Abraham's
miraculous escape proved his superiority and the polytheists were
humbled by Allah. The real object of relating this incident is to
warn the people of the Quraish to this effect: "The way that
you have adopted is not the way of the Prophet Abraham, whose
descendants you claim yourselves to be, but his way is the one being
presented by the Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and
blessings). Now, if you plot against him in order to defeat him and
frustrate his mission, as the people of the Prophet Abraham had done
against him, you alone will be defeated in the end, because you
cannot defeat Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace).

54The
Prophet Abraham said these words on his departure after he had been
delivered safe from the fire and had decided to leave the country.

55It
mean: "I am leaving my home and country for the sake of Allah,
for my people have turned hostile to me only because of my turning
to Him exclusively; otherwise there was no worldly dispute between
them and me because of which I might have had to Leave my country.
Moreover. I have no place of refuge in the world, to which I may
turn. I am leaving my home with full faith and trust only in Allah:
I shall go wherever He leads me. "

56This
prayer by itself shows that the Prophet Abraham at that time was
childless. From the details given at other places in the Qur'an, it
becomes clear that he had left his country with only one wife and
one nephew (the Prophet Lot). Therefore, he naturally desired that
Allah should bless him with a righteous child, who could be a source
of comfort and consolation for him in a foreign land.

57From
this one should not understand that this good news was given him
immediately following his prayer. In the Qur'an itself, at another
place, this saying of the Prophet Abraham has been related: "All
praise be to Allah Who has given me sons like Ishmael and Isaac in
my old age." (Ibrahim: 39). This proves that there was an
interval of many years between the prayer and this good news. The
Bible says that at the birth of the Prophet Ishmael, the Prophet
Abraham was 86 years old (Gen. 16: 16) and at the birth of the
Prophet Isaac a hundred years. (Gen. 21: 5).

58One
should note that the Prophet Abraham had dreamed that he was
sacrificing his son and not that he had sacrificed him. Although at
that time he understood the dream to mean that he should sacrifice
his son and on that very basis, he became ready to sacrifice him,
with a cool mind, yet the fine point that Allah had in view in
making him see the dream has been explained by Himself in verse 105
below.

59The
object of asking this of the son was not that he would carry out
Allah's Command only if he agreed, otherwise not, but the Prophet
Abraham, in fact, wanted to find out how righteous, in actual
reality, was his child for whom he had prayed to Allah. If the son
himself was found to be ready to lay down his life for the sake of
Allah's approval and pleasure, it would mean that the prayer had
been fully granted, and the son was not his offspring in the natural
way only but was morally and spiritually also a true son.

60The
words clearly tell that the son had not taken the dream of his
Prophet father to be a mere dream but a Command from Allah. Had it
not been a Command actually, it was necessary that Allah should have
explicitly or implicitly stated that the son of Abraham had mistaken
it for a command. But the whole context is without any such
allusion. On this very basis, there is the Islamic belief that the
dream of the Prophets is never a mere dream it is also a kind of
Revelation. Obviously, if a thing, which could become such a
fundamental principle in the Divine Shari'ah, had not been based on
reality, but had been a mere misunderstanding, it was not possible
that Allah should not have refuted it. It is impossible for the one
who believes the Qur'an to be Allah's Word, to accept That such an
error and omission could emanate from Allah also.

61That
is, "The Prophet Abraham did not make his son lit flat on his
back but made him lie prostrate lest while slaughtering him the
sight of his face should arouse compassion and lout and make him
shaky. Therefore, he wanted to use the knife from under the throat"
.

62One
section of the grammarians says that here "and" has been
use to mean "then"; thus, the sentence would be: "When
the two had submitted themselves (to Allah) and Abraham had flung
his son down on his brow, then We called out. . . " But another
section of them says that here the answer to the word "when"
has been omitted and left for the listener to fill; for it was
better w leave such an indescribable thing to the imagination
instead of expressing it in words. When Allah might have seen that
the old father who had got a son after long earnest prayers, has
become ready to sacrifice him only for His pleasure and approval;
and the son also had became ready to get slaughtered, His infinite
Mercy might have been aroused at the sight, and the Master might
have felt great love for the father and son. All this can only be
imagined. No words would ever describe the scene adequately.

63That
is, "We did not make you see in the dream that you had actually
slaughtered your son and he had died, but that you were slaughtering
him. That Vision you have fulfilled. Now, it is not Our will to take
the life of your child: the actual object of the vision has been
fulfilled by your submission and preparation to sacrifice him for
Our sake."

64That
is, "We do not subject the people who adopt the righteous way
to trials in order to involve them in trouble and distress and
affliction just for the sake of it, but these trials are meant to
bring out their excellencies and to exalt them to high ranks, and
then We deliver them also safe and sound from the dilemma in which
We place them for the sake of the trial. Thus, your willingness and
preparation to sacrifice yow son is enough to entitle you to be
exalted to the rank that could be attained only by the one who would
actually have slaughtered his son for Our approval and pleasure.
Thus, We have saved the life of yow child as well as exalted you to
this high rank. "

65That
is, "The object was not to get yow son slaughtered through you
but to test you to see that you did not hold anything of the world
dearer than Us.

66"A
great sacrifice" : A ram, as mentioned in the Bible and the
Islamic traditions, that Allah's angel presented at the time before
the Prophet Abraham, so that he should sacrifice it instead of his
son. This has been called "a great sacrifice" because it
was to serve as a ransom from a faithful servant like Abraham for a
patient and obedient son like Ishmael, and Allah made it a means of
fulfilling the intention of an unprecedented sacrifice. Another
reason for calling it "a great" sacrifice is that Allah
made it a tradition till the Day of Resurrection that all the
believers should offer animal sacrifice on the same date in the
entire world so as to keep fresh the memory of the great and unique
event signifying faithfulness and devotion."

67Here,
the question arises: Who was the son whom the Prophet Abraham had
got ready to offer as a sacrifice, and who had willingly offered
himself to be slaughtered as a sacrifice? The first answer to this
question is given by the Bible; and it is this:

"And
it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and
said unto him, Abraham: . . . Take now thy son thine only son Isaac,
whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer
him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I
will tell thee of." (Gen. 22: 1-2).

In this
statement, on the one hand, it is being said that Allah had asked
for the offering of the Prophet Isaac, and on the other, that he was
Abraham's only son, whereas the Bible itself, at other places,
conclusively states that the Prophet Isaac was. not the only son of
the Prophet Abraham.Consider the following statements of the Bible:

"Now
Sarai, Abram's wife bore him no children: and she had an handmaid,
an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abraham,
Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee,
go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And
Abraham hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abraham's wife
took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abraham had dwelt ten years
in the land of Canaan, and gave her husband Abram to be his wife.
And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived." (Gen .16: 1-4)

"And
the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold thou art with child, and
shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael." (16: 11)

"And
Abraham was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bore Ishmael to
Abraham." (16: 16).

"And
God said unto Abraham, `As for Sarai thy wife, ..... I will bless
her and give thee a son also of her: . . . . . and thou shalt call
his name Isaac . . .. . . which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this
set time in the next year And Abraham took Ishmael his son and
......every male among the men of Abraham's house; and . .. . .
circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God
had said unto him. And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when
he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son
was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his
foreskin. " (Gen. 17: 15-25).

"And
Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto
him. " (Gen. 21: 5).

This
brings out the contradictions of the Bible. It is evident that for
14 years the Prophet Ishmael was the only son of the Prophet
Abraham. Now if the offering had been asked of the only son, it was
not of Isaac but of Ishmael, for he alone was the only son; and if
the offering of Isaac had been asked, it would be wrong to say that
the offering of the only son had been asked.

Now let
us consider the Islamic traditions, and they contain great
differences. According to traditions cited by the commentators from
the Companions and their immediate followers, one group of them is
of the opinion that the son was the Prophet Isaac, and this group
contains the following names:

When
compared, the two lists will be seen to contain several common
names: this is due to the reason that from the same person two
different views have been reported. For example, from Hadrat
'Abdullah bin `Abbas, `Ikrimiah has related the saying that the son
was the Prophet Isaac, but from him again `Ata' bin Abi Rabah
relates: "The Jews claim that it was Isaac, but the Jews tell a
tie. " Likewise. from Hadrat Hasan Basri, one tradition is to
the effect that the Prophet Isaac was the son meant to be made the
offering, but `Umar bin `Ubaid says that Hasan Basri had no doubt
regarding that the son whom the Prophet Abraham had been commanded
to offer as a sacrifice was the Prophet Ishmael (peace be upon him).

This
diversity of tradition has resulted in the diversity of opinion
among the scholars of Islam. Some of them e.g. Ibn Jarir and Qadi
`Iyad, have expressed the firm opinion that the son was the Prophet
Isaac. Others, like Ibn Kathir have given the verdict that it were
the Prophet Ishmael. There ware others who are un-certain and
wavering, e.g. Jalaluddin Suyuti. However, a deep inquiry into the
question establishes the fact that the son intended to be offered as
a sacrifice was the Prophet Ishmael. The following are the
arguments:

(1) As
stated by the Qur'an above, at the time of his emigration from the
country, the Prophet Abraham had prayed for a righteous son and in
answer to it, Allah had given him the good news of a clement boy.
The context shows that this prayer was made at a time when he was
childless, and the boy whose good news was given was his first-born
child. Then, this also becomes obvious froth the Qur'anic story that
when the child grew up to boyhood, he was inspired to offer him as
an offering. Now, it is established beyond any doubt that the
Prophet Abraham's first-born son was the Prophet Ishmael and not the
Prophet Isaac. The Qur'an itself has stated the order between the
two sons, thus: "All praise be to Allah Who has given me sons
like Ishmael and Isaac in my old age." (Ibrahim: 39).

(2) The
words used in the Qur'an with regard to the Prophet Isaac while
giving the good news of his birth are: "And they gave him the
good news of the birth of a son, possessing knowledge, ('alim). "
(AdhDhariyat: 28 "Do not be afraid: we give you the good news
of a son, possessing knowledge." (AI-Hijr: 53). But the son,
the good news of whose birth has been given here; has been called a
clement (halim) son. This shows that the two sons had distinctive
qualities, and the offering had been asked of the clement son and
not of the son possessing knowledge.

(3) Along
with giving the good news of the birth of the Prophet Isaac in the
Qur'an, the good news of the birth of a grandson like Jacob was also
given: 'Then We gave her the good news of Isaac, and after Isaac of
Jacob." (Hud: 71). Now obviously, if about the son along with
the news of whose birth the news of a worthy son to be born to him
had also been given, the Prophet Abraham was shown a vision that he
was sacrificing him, he would never have understood that he was
being inspired to offer that very son as an offering. 'Allama Ibn
Jarir contends that the Prophet Abraham might have been shown this
vision at a time when Jacob had already been born to the Prophet
Isaac. But this is, in. fact, a very weak reply to the argument. The
Qur'an says: 'When the boy became able to work with his father,"
then he was shown the vision Anyone who reads these words with an
unbiased mind will have the image of an 8 to 10 years lad beforc
him. No one can imagine that these words had been used about a young
man having children.

(4)
Allah, at the end of the story, says: "We gave him the good
news of Isaac, a Prophet among the righteous." This clearly
shows that it was not the same son, whom he had been inspired to
offer as a sacrifice; but before this the good news of some other
son had been given; then when he grew up and became able to work
with his father, it was commanded to sacrifice him. Afterwards, when
the Prophet Abraham came through this test successfully, he was
given the good news of the birth of another son, the Prophet Isaac
(may peace be upon him). This order of the events conclusively
proves that the son whom the Prophet Abraham had been commanded to
sacrifice was not Isaac but another son who had been born several
years beforc him, 'Allama Ibn Jarir rejects this express argument,
saying that in the beginning only the good news of the birth of the
Prophet Isaac had been given. Then, when he became ready to be
scarificed for the sake of Allah's approval and pleasure, it was
rewarded in the form of the good news of his Prophethood. But this
reply to the argument is weaker still. If it had really been so,
Allah would not have said: ¦We gave him the good news of
Isaac, a Prophet among the righteous," but "We gave him
the good news that this same son of yours would be a Prophet among
the righteous."

(5)
Authentic traditions confirm that the horns of the ram which was
slaughtered as a ransom for the Prophet Ishmael remained preserved
in the Holy Ka'bah till the time of Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Zubair.
Afterwards when Hajjaj bin Yusuf besieged Ibn Zubair in the Ka'bah
and demolished the Kab'bah, the horns also were destroyed. Both Ibn
'Abbas and 'Amir Sha'bi; testify that they had seen the horns in the
Ka'bah. (Ibn Kathir). This is a proof of the fact that the event of
the sacrifice had taken place in Makkah and not in Syria, and
concerned the Prophet Ishmael. That is why a relic of it had been
preserved in the Holy Ka'bah built by the Prophets Abraham and
Ishmael.

(6) The
Arab traditions confirmed that this event of the sacrifice had taken
place in Mina (near Makkah), and it was not only a tradition but
practically also it had been a part of the Hajj rites for centuries.
Even until the time of the Holy Prophet people used to offer the
animal sacrifice in Mina at the place where the Prophet Abraham had
offered the sacrifice. Afterwards when the Holy Prophet was raised
as a Prophet, he also maintained and continued the same tradition;
so that even till today sacrifices are offered in Mina on the 10th
of Dhil-Hajj. This continual practice of 4,500 years or so is an
undeniable proof of the fact that the heirs to the tradition of
sacrifice made by the Prophet Abraham have been the descendants of
the Prophet Ishmael and not of the Prophet Isaac. There has never
been any such tradition among the descendants of the Prophet Isaac
according to which the whole community might have offered the
sacrifice at one and the same time and regarded it as a continuation
of the sacrifice made by the Prophet Abraham.

In the
face of such arguments it appears strange how the idea of the
Prophet Isaac's being the son offered as the sacrifice spread among
the Muslim community itself. If the Jews might have tried to
attribute the honor to their ancestor, the Prophet Isaac, by
depriving the Prophet Ishmael of it, it would be understandable.

But the
question is: How did a large number of the Muslims come to accept
this wrong notion? A very satisfactory answer to this question has
been given by 'Allama Ibn Kathir in his commentary. He says: "The
reality is known to Allah alone but it appears that all the sayings
(in which the Prophet Isaac has been mentioned as the son offered as
a sacrifice) are related from Ka`b Ahbar. This man, when he became a
Muslim in the time of Hadrat 'Umar, used to relate before him the
contents of the ancient Jewish and Christian scriptures, and Hadrat
'Umar would hear them. On this basis, the other people also began to
listen to him, and started relating every mixture of the truth and
falsehood that they heard from him, whereas this Ummah did not stand
in need of anything whatever from the store of his knowledge and
information.'

This
thing is further explained by a tradition from Muhammad bin Ka'b
al-Kurzi He says that once during his presence the question whether
the son offered as a sacrifice was the Prophet Isaac or the Prophet
Ishmael arose before Hadrat 'Umar bin 'Abdul `Aziz. Among them at
that time was a person who had been a Jewish scholar but had become
a sincere Muslim afterwards. He said, "O Commander of the
Faithful! By God it was Ishmael, and the Jews know it, but claim on
account of their jealousy of the Arabs that it was the Prophet
Isaac." (Ibn Jarir). When the two things are put side by side,
it becomes evident that actually it was the Jewish propaganda that
spread among the Muslims who have always been unbiased in scholastic
literary matters, a large number of them accepted the statements of
the Jews as a historic truth, which they presented as historical
traditions with reference to the ancient scriptures, and did not
realize that these were based on prejudice instead of knowledge.

68This
sentence throws light on the real object for which this event of the
Prophet Abraham's sacrifice has been related here. From the race of
his two sons arose two great nations in the world. First, the
children of Israel, from whose house two major religions (Judaism
and Christianity) emerged, which dominated and won over large human
populations. Second, the children of Ishmael, who were the religious
leaders and guides of All the Arabs at the time of the revelation of
the Qur'an, and the tribe of Quraish of Makkah at that time held the
most important position among them. Whatever eminence these two
branches of the offspring of the Prophet Abraham attained became
possible only on account of their connection and relation with the
Prophet Abraham and his two illustrious sons; otherwise, God alone
knows how many such families have arisen in the world and been
assigned to oblivion. Now, Allah relates the most glorious event of
the history of this family and makes both its branches realize that
whatever honor and eminence they have attained in the world, has
been due actually to the great traditions of God-worship and
sincerity and obedience, which were set by their ancestors, the
Prophets Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac (may peace be upon them all).
He tells them: `The great blessings which We bestowed on them, were
not bestowed arbitrarily and haphazardly: We did not just pick out a
person and his two sons blindly and blessed them, but they gave
definite proofs of their loyalty and faithfulness to their real
Master and then became deserving of His favors. Now, you cannot
become entitled to those favors merely on the basis of your pride of
descent, for We shall see who among you is righteous and who is
wicked and then deal with him accordingly."

69"A
great distress": the distress in which they were involved at
the hands of Pharaoh and his people.

70The
Prophet Elias was from among the Israelite Prophets. He has been
mentioned only twice in the Qur'an, here and in Surah AI-An'am: 85.
The present-day scholars have determined his period between 875 and
850 B.C. He was an inhabitant of Gilead, which in ancient days was
the territory now under the northern districts of the modern state
of Jordan, to the south of the River Yarmuk. In the Bible he has
been mentioned as Elijah the Tishbite. Here is briefly his life
story:

After the
death of the Prophet Solomon the Israelite kingdom was broken up
into two parts due mainly to the unworthiness of his son, Rehoboam.
One part which consisted of Jerusalem and southern Palestine
remained with the descendants of the Prophet David, while in the
second, which comprised northern Palestine, an independent state by
the name of Israel was established with Samaria as its capital.
Although conditions in both the states were very bad, the state of
Israel, from the very beginning, followed the path of depravity due
to which the evils of polytheism and idol-worship and tyranny and
wickedness went on increasing and multiplying in it endlessly; so
much so that when Ahab, the king of Israel, married Jezebel, the
daughter of the king of Sidon (Lebanon), the mischief reached its
extremity. Under the influence of this polytheistic princess Ahab
himself became a polytheist. He built a temple and altar to Baal in
Samaria, tried his very best to introduce and popularize
Baal-worship instead of the worship of One God. and consequently,
offerings began to be made publicly in the name of Baal in the
Israelite towns and cities.

This was
the time when the Prophet Elijah (peace be upon him) appeared on the
scene. He came from Gilead and gave Ahab a notice that in
consequence of his sins, the land of Israel would go without rain,
even without the dew. This word of the Prophet of Allah proved to be
literally true and there fell no rain in Israel for thee and a half
years. At last, Ahab came to his senses and he got the Prophet
Elijah searched out But Elijah, before praying for the rain, thought
it necessary to snake the distinction between Allah, Lord of the
worlds, and Baal plain before the people of Israel. For this
purpose, he commanded that the priests of Baal would make an
offering in the name of their deity, and he also would make an
offering in the name of Allah, Lord of the worlds, in front of the
assembled people. Then the one whose offering would be consumed by a
fire from heaven, without the agency of the human hand, the truth of
his deity would be established beyond doubt. Ahab accepted this
proposal. Thus, 850 of the priests of Baal assembled on Mt. Carmel
to answer the challenge given by the Prophet Elijah. In this
encounter the Ba'al worshipers were defeated, and the Prophet Elijah
proved that Baal was 'a false god, and the real God is the One God
alone who had appointed him as His Prophet. After this, Elijah got
the priests of Baal slaughtered in front of the same assembly of the
people; then he prayed for the rain, and his prayer was immediately
answered and the whole land of Israel was saturated with water

But,
despite these miracles, Ahab could not shake off the influence of
his polytheistic wife. Jezebel turned hostile to the Prophet Elijah
and she hoped that he would be put to death just as the Baal
worshipers had been put to death. Under the circumstances the
Prophet Elijah was compelled to leave the country and he remained
lodged in a cave at the foot of Mt. Sinai for several years. The
lamentation that he made to Allah, on this occasion, has been
related in the Bible, in these words:

'The
children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine
altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only,
am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." (I Kings, 19:
10).

About the
same time Jehoram, the ruler of the Jewish state of Jerusalem,
married the daughter of Ahab, the king of Israel, and under her
polytheistic influence the same evils that had spread in Israel also
began to spread in Judah. The Prophet Elijah carried out his
prophetic duty again and wrote a letter to Jehoram, the following
words of which have been reported in the Bible:

"Thus
saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked
in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king
of Judah. But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and
hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring,
like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy
brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself:
Behold,with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, and thy
children, and thy wives, and all thy goods: And thou shalt have
great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out
by reason of the sickness day by day." (2 Chronicles, 21:
12-15).

Whatever
the Prophet Elijah had prophesied in this letter proved true. First,
the kingdom of Jehoram was destroyed by the external invaders, and
the enemies even carried away his wives, then he himself died of the
disease of the bowels.

A few
years later the Prophet Elijah again went to Israel and constantly
tried hard to bring Ahab, and after him his son, Ahaziah, to the
right path, but the evil that had taken root in the house of the
royal family of Samaria could not be eradicated. At last, due to the
curse of the Prophet the family of Ahab met its doom, and then Allah
recalled his Prophet from the world.

71Lexically,
ba'al means master, chief and possessor. This word was also used for
husband, and has been used in this sense at several places in the
Qur'an itself, e.g. in Surah AI-Baqarah: 228, An-Nisa': 127, Hud: 72
and An-Nur: 31. However; in the ancient times the Semetic nations
used it in the meaning of deity or lord; they had even given the
name of Baal to a special god. The chief male god of the
Phoenicians, in particular, was Baal and their chief goddess was
Ashtoreth, his wife. The scholars differ as to whether Baal meant
the sun or Jupiter, and Ashtoreth the moon or Venus. In any case,
historically it is certain that Baal worship was prevalent from
Babylon to Egypt throughout the Middle East, and the polytheistic
communities of the Lebanon and Syria and Palestine, in particular,
had become its devotees. When the Israelites settled in Palestine
and Jordan after they came out from Egypt, they started contracting
marriage and other social relations with the polytheistic nations
round about them, in violation of the strict prohibitive injunctions
of the Torah, the disease of idol-worship began to spread among
them, too. According to the Bible, this moral and religious decline
had started appearing among the Israelites soon after the death of
Joshua, son of Nun, who was the first caliph of the Prophet Moses:

'And the
children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served
Baalim ...... And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and
Ashtoreth." (Judges, 2: 11-13).

And the
children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and
Amorites, and Perizzites and Hivites, and Jebusites. And they took
their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their
sons, and served their gods.' (Judges, 3: 5-6).

At that
time worship of Baal had so deeply affected the Israelites that,
according to the Bible, in one of their habitations a public altar
had been built at which offerings were made to Baal. A
God-worshiping Israelite could not bear the sight; so he pulled down
the altar one night. Next morning a great multitude of the people
gathered together and demanded that the man who had cast down the
altar he put to death. (Judges, 6:25-32). This evil, at last, was
put to an end by . Samuel, Saul and the Prophets David and Solomon
(peace be upon them); they not only reformed the Israelites
generally but also eradicated polytheism and idol worship from their
kingdom. But after the death of the Prophet Solomon the mischief was
again revived and the Israelite state of northern Palestine was
swept away in the Hood of Baal-worship.

72That
is "Only those people will be made an exception from the
punishment, who did not belie the Prophet Elijah, and whom Allah
chose from among the nation for His worship. "

73The
treatment that the Israelites meted out to the Prophet Elijah in his
life has been referred to above, but after his death they became so
enamored of him that they held him in the highest esteem and
reverence after the Prophet Moses. They formed the belief that
Elijah (peace be upon him) had been taken up alive into heaven by a
whirlwind (2 Kings, ch. 2), and that he will come back to the world
again. Thus, in Malachi (O.T.) it is written:

"Behold,
I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great
and dreadful day of the Lord." (4: 5).

At the
tune the Prophets John and Jesus (peace be upon them) appeared, the
Jews were awaiting the advent of these three men: the Prophet Elias,
the Christ and "that Prophet" (i.e. the Holy Prophet
Muhammad). When the ministry of the Prophet John began and he
slatted baptizing the people, the Jews sent priests to him to ask,
"Are you the Christ ?" And he said that he was not the
Christ. Then they asked, "Are you Elias?" And he answered
that he was not Elias; then they asked, "Are you 'that
Prophet'?" And he answered that he was not "that Prophet"
either. Thereupon they said, "If you are neither the Christ,
nor Elias, nor that Prophet, why do you then baptize ?" (John,
1: 19-26). Afterwards when the name of the Prophet Jesus spread
among the people, the Jews thought that perhaps the Prophet Elias
had come. (Mark, 6: 14-15). Even among the disciples of Jesus
themselves the idea was common that Elias the Prophet would come,
but Jesus removed their misunderstanding, saying, 'Elias is come
already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatever they
listed." Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of
John the Baptist and not of Elias who had appeared tight hundred
years earlier. (Matthew. 11: 14; and 17: 10-131.)

74The
words in the original are: Salam-un 'ala El-ya-sin. Some
commentators say that EI ya-sin is the other name of the Prophet
Elias, just as Abraham is the other name of the Prophet Ibrahim;
some others say that different versions of the Hebrew names were
prevalent among the Arabs, e.g. one and the same angel was called
Michal and Micha'il and Micha'in. The same has been the case with
the name of the Prophet Elias also. In the Qur'an itself the same
mountain has been called Tur Sina' and Tur Sinin.

75This
implies the wife of the Prophet Lot, who did not migrate with her
illustrious husband, but remained behind with her people and was
punished.

76The
reference is to the mined habitations of the people of Lot by which
the Quraishite merchants passed day and night during their trade
journeys to Syria and Palestine.

77This
is the third place where the Prophet Jonah (peace be upon him) has
been mentioned in the Qur'an. Before this he has already been
mentioned in Surah Yunus and Surah Al-Anbiya`. (For reference,
please see yunus: 98 and AI-Anbiya`: 87-88 and the E.N.'s thereof).

78The
word ebaqe in Arabic is used for the flight and escape of a slave
from his master's house.

(1) The
vessel which the Prophet Jonah boarded was already overloaded.

(2) Lots
were drawn in the vessel probably at a time when during the voyage
it was felt that the lives of the passengers had been endangered due
to the overloading; therefore, lots were cast to pick oat a person
to be thrown overboard.

(3) The
lot fell on the Prophet Jonah, and so he was thrown into the sea.
and a fish swallowed him.

(4) The
Prophet Jonah was so afflicted because he had fled and abandoned the
place of his mission without the permission of his Master (Allah
Almighty). This meaning is confirmed by the word abaqa as has been
explained in E.N. 78 above, and also by the word mulim. Mulim IS a
blameworthy person, who becomes worthy of blame by himself because
of his sin and error, whether somebody else blames him for it or
not. (Ibn Jarir).

80It
has two meanings and both are implied: (1) That the Prophet Jonah
was not of the people who are heedless of God, but was of those who
glorify and adore Allah constantly and perpetually; and (2) that
when he went inside the fish, he turned to Allah alone and glorified
Him. In Surah AI-Anbiya' it has been said: He invoked Us from the
depths of the darkness, saying: `There is no god but You: Glory be
to You: I am indeed blameworthy. " (v. 87).

81This
does not mean that the fish would have lived till Resurrection and
the Prophet Jonah would have remained alive in its belly till then,
but that the fish's belly would have become his grave till
Resurrection. The famous commentator Qatadah has given this same
meaning of this verse. (Ibn Jarir).

82That
is, "When the Prophet Jonah confessed his fault, and began to
glorify Allah like a true and sincere believer, the fish spat him up
on the beach by Allah's Command. The beach was a bare plain, without
any vegetation on it, or anything to provide him shade, or any means
of food." .

Here, the
rationalists have been heard expressing the misgiving that it is
impossible for a man to come out alive from the belly of a fish.
But, towards the end of the last century, an event took place near
the sea-shores of England (the center of this so-called
rationalism), which belies this claim. In August, 1891, some
fishermen went to the high sea to hunt whales in a ship called Star
of the East. There they injured a great fish which was 20 feet long,
5 feet wide and weighed a hundred tons, but during the struggle the
fish swallowed a fisherman, James Bartley, in front of the very eyes
of his companions. Next day the same fish was found dead on the sea.
The fishermen hauled it up on board and when they cut open its
belly, James Bartley came out alive. He had remained in the fish's
belly for full 60 hours. (Urdu Digest, February, 1964). Obviously,
when such a thing is possible in normal circumstances naturally,
wiry should it be impossible under abnormal conditions as a miracle
of God?

83The
Arabic word yaqtin applies to a tree which does not stand on a stem
but grows and spreads like a creeper, e.g. a pumpkin, cucumber,
water-melon, etc. In any case, a creeper was produced miraculously,
so that its leaves should provide shade to the Prophet Jonah and its
fruit should serve him both as food and as shade.

84The
mention of "a hundred thousand people or more" does not
mean that Allah had any doubt about their number, but it means that
a casual observer would have estimated the population to be more
than a hundred thousand people in any case. Probably it was the same
place which the Prophet Jonah had left and fled. After his departure
when the people of the place saw the scourge approaching they
believed, but this was only a kind of repentance which was accepted
and the scourge averted. Now, the Prophet Jonah was again sent .to
them so drat the people should believe in him as a Prophet and
become Muslims formally. To understand this, one should keep in view
verse 98 of Surah Yunus.

85Some
people have taken exception to what we have written concerning this
story of the Prophet Jonah in our commentary of Surahs Yunus and
AI-Anbiya'. It would therefore be proper that we should reproduce
here the explanations given by the other commentators in this
regard.

The
famous commentator Qatadah in his commentary of verse 98 of Surah
Yunus says: There has been no habitation which disbelieved and might
have believed after the arrival of the scourge, and then might have
been left unpunished. The only exception were the people of the
Prophet Jonah. When they searched for their Prophet and did not find
him, and felt that the scourge had approached near at hand, Allah
put repentance in their hearts. " (Ibn Kathir, vol. II, p.
433).

Commenting
on the same verse 'Allama Alusi; says: "The Prophet Jonah
(peace be upon him) had been sent to the people of Nineveh in the
land of Mosul. They were polytheistic people. The Prophet Jonah
invited them to believe in Allah, the One, and to give up
idol-worship. They refused to believe and belied him. Jonah gave
them the news that they would be visited by a scourge after three
days and he left the place at midnight before the expiry of the
three days. Then, in the day time when the scourge approached......
and the people realized that they would all perish, they began to
search for the Prophet but did not find him. At last, they took
their families and their cattle and came out in the desert and
expressed belief and repentance.......So, Allah showed them mercy
and accepted their prayer. " (Ruh al-Ma ani, vol. XI, p. 170).

Commenting
on v. 87 of Surah Al-Anbiya', `Allama Alusi writes: "The
Prophet Jonah's forsaking his people in anger was an act of
migration, but he had not been commanded to do so." (Ruh
al-Ma'ani, vol. XVII, p. 77). Then he explains the meaning of the
sentence, "Inna kun-tu min-az-zalimin ", of Jonah's
prayer, thus:`That is, I was blameworthy in that I hastened to
migrate, against The way of the Prophets, before receiving the
command for it. " This was, in fact, a confession of his sin
and expression of repentance so that Allah might remove his
affliction. (Ruh al-Ma'ani, vol. :XVII, p. 78).

Maulana
Ashraf `Ali Thanwi's note on this verse is: "He became angry
with his people when they did not believe, and forsook them, and did
not return to them of his own accord when the scourge had been
averted, and did not await Our Command for the migration."
(Bayan al-QurÆan).

Maulana
Shabbir Ahmad 'Uthmani writes in his note on this verse: "Vexed
at the misconduct of his people he left the city in anger, did not
await the Divine Command and threatened the people that they would
be visited by a torment after three days......lnni kun-tu min
az-Zalimin: He confessed his error that he had made haste and left
the habitation without awaiting Allah's Command.,

"Explaining
these verses of Surah Saaffat, Imam Razi writes: "The Prophet
Jonah's fault was that when Allah threatened to destroy the people
who had belied him, he thought that the scourge would inevitably
befall them. Therefore, he did not show patience and abandoned his
mission and left the place, whereas he ought to have continued the
work of his mission, for there was a possibility that Allah might
not destroy those people." (Tafsir Kabir, vol. VII, p. 158).

Explaining
the verse Idh abaqa......, Allama .Alusi writes: `Literally, abaqa
means the escape of a slave from his master's house. Since Jonah had
run away from his people without Allah's leave, the word has been
rightly used about him." Then he writes: "When the third
day came, the Prophet Jonah left the place without Allah's
permission. Thus, when his people did not find him, they came out
along with their young and old people and their cattle, and they
implored Allah and begged for His forgiveness and Allah forgave
them.' (Ruh al-Ma 'ani, vol. XXII, p. 13).

Maulana
Shabbir Ahmad 'Uthmani has explained the words wa huwa mulim thus:
`The accusation against him was that he had left the city because of
an error of judgment, without awaiting the Divine Command, and even
specified the day for the coming of the scourge."

Then
Maulana Shabbir Ahmad's note on v. 48 of Surah AI-Qalam is: "Do
not be perplexed and agitated with regard to the deniers like the
Man of the Fish (i.e. the Prophet Jonah)." And about the
sentence: wa huwa makzum of the same verse, he writes: "That
is, he was full of anger against his people, so he prayed for the
torment, rather foretold it, in fretful haste."

These
explanations by the commentators clearly show that there were three
offenses on account of which the Prophet Jonah was made to suffer
Allah's displeasure:

(1) That
he himself fixed the day of the torment, whereas Allah had not made
any declaration in this regard;

(2) that
he emigrated from the city even before the day came; whereas a
Prophet should not leave the place of his mission until Allah
commands him to do so; and

(3) that
he did not return to his people after the torment had been averted
from them.

86Another
theme starts from here. In the preceding theme that started from v.
11, the Quraish had been put this question: "Ask them: what is
more difficult: their own creation or of those things that We have
created?" Now, they are being asked this second question. The
object of the first question was to warn the disbelievers of their
deviation because of which they regarded life-after-death and the
meting out of rewards and punishments as impossible, and therefore,
mocked the Holy Prophet for it. Now they are being asked this second
question to warn them of their ignorance due to which they
attributed children to Allah and would join anybody with Allah in
any relationship they liked on mere conjecture.

87Traditions
show that in Arabia the tribes of Quraish, Juhainah, Bani Salimah,
Khuza'ah, Bani Mulaih, etc., held the belief that the angels were
Allah's daughters. This belief of their ignorance has been referred
to at several places in the Qur'an, e.g. in An-Nisa': 117, An-Nahl:
57-58, Bani Isra'il: 40, Az-Zukhruf: 16; 19, An-Najm: 21-27.

88That
is, "There can be only two bases for regarding the angels as
the daughters of Allah: Either such a thing could be said on the
basis of observation, or the one who asserted it should possess a
Divine book in which Allah Himself might have stated that the angels
were His daughters. Now, if those who held such belief could neither
make a claim to have observed such a thing nor did they possess any
divine book that might contain such a thing, there could be no
greater stupidity than this that one should base one's religious
belief on mere conjecture, and attribute to Allah, Lord of the
worlds, such things as were patently ridiculous.

89Though
the word used is al jinnah instead of al-mala'ikah, some major
commentators have opined that here the word jinn has been used for
mala ikah in its literal sense (of hidden creation); mala ikah
(angels) also are, in reality, a hidden creation, and the following
theme also demands that al jinnah here be taken in the sense of
al-mala'ikah

90Another
translation of this verse can be: "Therefore, you and your
worship: on this you cannot tempt into mischief anyone except him .
. . " According to this second translation, the meaning would
be: "O you who have gone astray, by this worship that you arc
performing before us, and regarding us as the children of Allah,
Lord of the worlds, you cannot tempt us into mischief. By this you
can only beguile a fool who might be working for his own doom. So,
we refuse to fall into the trap that you have set for us."

91That
is, "Not to speak of being Allah's children, we do not have the
power to exceed in any way or degree the place and position and
status appointed for each of us by Allah."

92This
same thing has already been mentioned in Surah Fatir: 42 above.

93"Allah's
army": implies the believers who obey Allah's Messenger and
side with him. This also includes those unseen powers by which Allah
helps the followers of the truth.

This help
and domination does not necessarily mean that in every age every
Prophet of Allah and his followers must attain political dominance,
but this dominance has many forms, one of which is political rule as
well. Wherever the Prophets of Allah did not attain any such
dominance, they did establish their moral superiority even in those
places. The nations which did not accept their message and adopted a
way contrary to their teachings, were ultimately doomed to
destruction. Whatever philosophies of error and misguidance the
people invented and whatever corrupt and evil practices of life
they, enforced died out ultimately after they had their sway for
some time. But the truths preached by the Prophets of Allah for
thousands of years have been unalterable before as they are
unalterable today. No one has been able to disprove them in any
way.

94That
is, `It will not take long when they will see their defeat and your
victory with their own eyes." This proved to be true as it had
been foretold. Hardly 14 to 15 years had passed after the revelation
of these vases when the pagans of Makkah witnessed the Holy Prophet
enter their city as a conqueror, and then a few years later the same
people saw that Islam had overwhelmed not only Arabia but the mighty
empires of Rome and Iran as well.